Tassajara-zen-mountain-center-hot-springs Lying deep in the Los Padres National Forest is a place filled with tranquility, peace and beauty. Tassajara Hot Springs is a Buddhist Monastery that opens its doors to visitors each summer.
Abbot and Guiding Teacher
KONJIN GAELYN GODWIN, Roshi
The Abbot of Houston Zen Center, Setsuan Konjin* Gaelyn Godwin, is connected nationally and internationally with Buddhist teachers and organizations, and, in addition to her own travels to lead Zen retreats, she brings nationally recognized teachers to Houston for Dharma teaching.
She serves as the Director of the International Division of Soto Zen, North America (a department of Soto Zen Headquarters based in Japan).
She received ordination as a Zen Priest in 1991, from Tenshin Reb Anderson, Senior Dharma Teacher at San Francisco Zen Center.She received Dharma Transmission, also from Tenshin Reb Anderson, in 2003, and was appointed Kaikyoshi (formal recognition from Japan) in 2005. Her Zen lineage is Soto Zen, through Dōgen Zenji, and through Suzuki Shunryu Daiosho, founder of San Francisco Zen Center.
Training: Her Zen training began at San Francisco Zen Center (SFZC) in 1985 and continued for 18 years there, including 12 years at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, the largest Zen monastery in the West. During her years at the monastery she served as Practice Leader, Director, Ino (head of the meditation hall), Work Leader, Plant Manager, and in many other capacities. She returns to Tassajara Zen Mountain Center two or three times each year for teaching and practice. Additional Zen training: She trained in Japan, at Hosshinji with Harada Sekkei Roshi in 1991–92, and at Zuioji in 2005; and with Robert Aitken Roshi of the Diamond Sangha in Hawaii in 1995–96.
Service: She served on San Francisco Zen Center’s Board of Directors for 7 years and currently advises the Affiliates Council. She currently serves on the Board of the Institute for Spirituality and Health at Texas Medical Center.
- More Nestled in the Santa Lucia Mountain ranges, Tassajara Zen Mountain Center is a tranquil haven set away from the bustle of the city. Founded by a Japanese Buddhist monk, Shunryu Suzuki, this zen center is located in an ideal environment that offers a quiet space to promote zen practices.Visitors can plan retreats to the center to engage in meditation along with the monks staying at the.
- General Description: Kaiser Hot Springs is a free primitive rock walled and gravel bottomed geothermal pool located in Warm Springs Canyon along beautiful narrows in the Kaiser Canyon in the Arizona desert.
- The Tassajara Zen Mountain center is the oldest Zen Monastery in America. Its name is a modification of the Spanish American word “Tasajera,” meaning “where meat is hung to dry.” It is one of three practice centers making up the San Francisco Zen Center, which was founded in 1962.
Memberships: She is a member of the Soto Zen Buddhist Association and served as the President of the Board; she is currently on the advisory council. She is also a member of the American Zen Teachers Association, serving on the membership committee, and the Association of Soto Zen Buddhists, serving on the Roadmap Committee regarding the development of Zen in the West.
Outreach and responsibilities: She oversees Houston Zen Center’s campus and teaching program, guides the Practice Committee, participates in Board meetings and planning (buildings and teaching events), leads Sesshin and practice periods, trains shusos (head students) and has ordained and trains numerous Zen priests. She has given Lay Dharma Entrustment to four senior lay practitioners who now serve as Zen teachers. She has two Zen dharma heirs who have received full Dharma Transmission. In addition, she leads a prison meditation group north of Huntsville, and participates frequently in socially engaged projects for the benefit of the underserved, in Houston and elsewhere.
She moved to Houston in 2003, after annual teaching visits for 5 years, to guide the Houston Zen Center. She has two stepdaughters, Jessie, an economist in Chicago, and Sarah, an obstetrician in San Francisco, and four grandchildren, Oscar, Rose, Joachim and Sofia.
Tassajara Zen Center
Tassajara Zen Center
*Setsuan Konjin is a dharma name = Snow Hermitage, Builds Love